Most recently, Dessa published a book under the Doomtree banner. Spiral Bound, her collection of essays and poetry, was dubbed a “dazzling literary debut” by the City Pages and “witty and desperately honest” by Alive Magazine.
A Badly Broken Code, her solo full-length record was released in January 2010 to an eagerly waiting number of listeners and music-writers alike. It earned 4 stars from Urb Magazine, a mention in Spin, and rave reviews from publications across the country.
The Man I Knew
Dessa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was already plain that you've changed
But your conscience was clean
And as white as a line of cocaine
My back to the wall of your bedroom apartment
You're talking in circles
Got your cigarettes burning
Strange
Don't get me wrong
I've got no ill will for you
It's just been so long
I thought I'd always know you
But you're so far gone
Up where the air gets thin
You cut the kite strings
I've read my name in lights
I've seen my face in papers
But my civilian life I spent 10 good years
Waiting (x8) for you
You charmed a snake
You picked the card
You bent the spoon
A curved plane
Shapes change
Euclid's made to play the fool but you
I don't know what that stuff does to you
And I don't know if it's real but
I spent a decade in love with you
And I can't tell if you're here
The man I knew
I don't think that he can hear me now
So dizzy with the altitude
Just too far
Who am I to tell you to come down
(lucky that my ? don't perversely go poisoned)
Who am I to tell you to come down
(sit back and raise a glass, a glass to ease your
Choices)
Who am I
To tell you to come down
The man I knew
I don't think that he can hear me now
So dizzy with the altitude
Just too far
Tell you
Last night you came to kiss me in a dream but when I
Woke
What kind of foolishness is this breathe out a lungful
Of your smoke
I've seen you ?
Let it burn
I've seen you at your brightest what a mind
Let it burn
So who am I to serve you on my terms?
So who am I to tell you to come down
The lyrics of Dessa's song The Man I Knew, seem to be an exploration of that difficult moment when someone one has known fundamentally changes, and it becomes hard to recognize them. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer has had expectations about the direction this person would go in, and that they were perhaps disappointed to discover that this individual was instead a mystery to them. There is an almost resigned quality to Dessa's voice as she sings the lines “By the time that you told me, it was already plain that you’ve changed”. It is as if the singer has come to accept that this person is not who they thought they were and that the friendship or relationship they once shared is over. This is further emphasized in the lyrics “You're so far gone. Up where the air gets thin. You cut the kite strings", which highlights how much the other person has moved beyond the singer's reach.
The song is also written with a hint of nostalgia, with Dessa singing lyrics such as ‘I spent a decade in love with you’. The nostalgic feelings are a clear reminiscence of a time when the person they knew was different. The suggestion is that the person's changes are connected to drug use, but it’s never made explicit, and the singer expresses a sense of distance, of not understanding what had happened to this person. The theme of disconnection and distance is further emphasized in the lyrics “The man I knew, I don't think that he can hear me now. So dizzy with the altitude. Just too far”. The chorus seems more about acceptance than anything else, and by calmly acknowledging that the man she used to know can no longer hear her, she appears to be coming to terms with the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
By the time that you told me
When you finally told me, it was already clear that you've changed.
It was already plain that you've changed
It was evident that you were no longer the same person.
But your conscience was clean
You believed you hadn't done anything wrong.
And as white as a line of cocaine
Your conscience was pure as cocaine, according to you.
My back to the wall of your bedroom apartment
I was stuck in your bedroom apartment with no way out.
You're talking in circles
You were not making any sense.
Got your cigarettes burning
You were smoking cigarettes.
And I couldn't hide I'm afraid I was to see you so Strange
I couldn't hide that I was scared to see you acting so strangely.
Don't get me wrong
Please don't misunderstand me.
I've got no ill will for you
I don't have any bad feelings towards you.
It's just been so long
It's been a long time since we've seen each other.
I thought I'd always know you
I thought I knew you well.
But you're so far gone
But you've changed so much that I don't recognize you anymore.
Up where the air gets thin
You're in a place where it's hard to breathe.
You cut the kite strings
You've cut ties with your past.
I've read my name in lights
I've become famous and successful.
I've seen my face in papers
My face has appeared in newspapers.
But my civilian life I spent 10 good years Waiting (x8) for you
Despite my success, I've waited 10 years for you and my normal life.
You charmed a snake
You fooled someone into trusting you.
You picked the card
You were skilled in deception and card tricks.
You bent the spoon
You could manipulate objects with your mind.
A curved plane
A 3-dimensional representation of curved space.
Shapes change
Aspects of things can transform and evolve.
Euclid's made to play the fool but you
Even the smartest people can be deceived by your tricks.
I don't know what that stuff does to you
I don't know how drugs have affected you.
And I don't know if it's real but
I don't know if what I see is real.
I spent a decade in love with you
I was in love with you for 10 years.
And I can't tell if you're here
I don't know if you're really present with me.
The man I knew
The person I used to know.
I don't think that he can hear me now
I don't think you can hear me anymore.
So dizzy with the altitude
You're so high up that it's making you dizzy.
Just too far
We are too distant from each other now.
Who am I to tell you to come down
Who am I to say you need to come back to reality.
(lucky that my ? don't perversely go poisoned)
Unknown.
sit back and raise a glass, a glass to ease your Choices
Relax and have a drink to help you make better decisions.
Tell you
Unknown.
Last night you came to kiss me in a dream but when I Woke
You appeared in my dream and kissed me.
What kind of foolishness is this breathe out a lungful Of your smoke
I'm not sure what type of foolish behavior this is, but it smells like your cigarette smoke.
I've seen you ?
Unknown.
Let it burn
Let it go up in flames.
I've seen you at your brightest what a mind Let it burn
You were amazing at your best, but now it's time to let it all go.
So who am I to serve you on my terms?
Who am I to tell you what to do and how to do it?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anne Archy
By the time that you told me it was already plain that you'd changed
But your conscience was clean and as white as a line of cocaine
My back to the wall of your bedroom apartment
You're talking in circles, got two cigarettes burning
And I couldn't hide how afraid I was to see you so strange
Don't get me wrong, I've got no ill will for you
It'd just been so long, I thought I'd always know you
But you're so far gone
Up where the air gets thin...
You cut the kite strings
I've seen my name in lights, I've seen my face in papers
But my civilian life, I spent ten good years waiting
Waiting for you
You charmed the snake
You picked the card
You bent the spoon
A curved plane, the shapes change
Euclid's made to play the fool, but
I don't know what that stuff does to you
And I don't know if it's real, but
I spent a decade in love with you
And I just can't tell if you're here, cause
[Hook]
The man I knew
I don't think that he can hear me now
So dizzy with the altitude
It's just too far
Who am I to tell you to come down?
Lucky that my palate still prefers a legal poison
Who am I to tell you to come down?
Sit back and raise a glass, a glass to easy choices
Who am I, yeah, who am I, yeah who am I
To tell you to come down?
[Hook]
Last night you came to kiss me in a dream and when I woke
What kind of foolishness is this
Breathed out a lungful of your smoke
I've seen you at your brightest
What a mind, let it burn
Who am I to pull you down to Earth?
Yeah, who am I to tell you to come down?
Anne Archy
By the time that you told me it was already plain that you'd changed
But your conscience was clean and as white as a line of cocaine
My back to the wall of your bedroom apartment
You're talking in circles, got two cigarettes burning
And I couldn't hide how afraid I was to see you so strange
Don't get me wrong, I've got no ill will for you
It'd just been so long, I thought I'd always know you
But you're so far gone
Up where the air gets thin...
You cut the kite strings
I've seen my name in lights, I've seen my face in papers
But my civilian life, I spent ten good years waiting
Waiting for you
You charmed the snake
You picked the card
You bent the spoon
A curved plane, the shapes change
Euclid's made to play the fool, but
I don't know what that stuff does to you
And I don't know if it's real, but
I spent a decade in love with you
And I just can't tell if you're here, cause
[Hook]
The man I knew
I don't think that he can hear me now
So dizzy with the altitude
It's just too far
Who am I to tell you to come down?
Lucky that my palate still prefers a legal poison
Who am I to tell you to come down?
Sit back and raise a glass, a glass to easy choices
Who am I, yeah, who am I, yeah who am I
To tell you to come down?
[Hook]
Last night you came to kiss me in a dream and when I woke
What kind of foolishness is this
Breathed out a lungful of your smoke
I've seen you at your brightest
What a mind, let it burn
Who am I to pull you down to Earth?
Yeah, who am I to tell you to come down?
Hiro Protagonist
And DAYUM! They KILLLLL this live on the Tiny Desk Concert they gave at NPR
J Langley
Yes! That is one of my favorite live performances I've ever seen. Incredible. That version of the Lamb as well. Ah the whole thing is amazing.
Joseph Pennington
Growth, is change so is learning to stretch so that which was remains.
Anthony chirico
This woman is amazing live amazing, great band and back up vocals are crazy good.
Sol Crisms
I've heard this song a thousand times over the years... all of a sudden it's feeling really personal.. Haha. Heavy heart :-(
EJPkiwi
Dam Dessa your great! Keep making music <3
Rick Nelson
Amazing!
Hiro Protagonist
Dessa... like a fantastic mashup of Ani DiFranco and Lourde.
dumdristig
I discovered her when she opened for Ani back when False Hopes was her only recording, so you're not the only one that saw that connection. Lorde, though, that's a new one. They both could be said to have ethereal voices, though, so I see where you're going.